Fire in My Heart
My childhood dream was always to be a religious sister. The seed of this dream must have been sown by the Columban missionaries, Sisters and priests, who were my educators and friends from my early years. I was baptized by the late Columban Fr. Paul Cooney. I worked as a teacher for several years before deciding in 1990 to join the first Columban Lay Missionary team from the Philippines.
What Direction Am I Taking
From the seclusion of his monastery in Kentucky, the Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton, reached out to the men and women of his time with a wise and compassionate heart. The writings of this contemplative priest, poet and author continue to inspire us today.
Don't Spill the Wine
Today I escaped from my Hindi studies to visit two veteran French missionaries, Frs. Cocereau and Debois at Naililili mission station. I was impressed by the fine old church despite the green fungus on the walls. I heard that Fr. Debois polled his way in a boat up the aisle to say Mass there during a flood. It is still no bother to him to tramp in his big boots to nearby villages.
The Fijian Seminarian Who Couldn't Dare to Sleep
I’m at the Namata Ashram running a Hindi-speaking lay leaders course. I’ve just had a meeting with a Fijian seminarian. I was supervising him on his cross-cultural pastoral experience a few months ago. He reminded me of the first week he stayed with his Indo-Fijian family. “I haven’t slept all week,” he told me at our meeting at the end of that first week.
Garage Sale in the Philippines
It all started as a simple idea. I remember Columban Fr. Dom Nolan and Lourdes de Guzman both of Mission Awareness asking us if we would accept some donations for a garage sale.
Overcoming Fear
As he lies in his sick bed, Columban Fr. Frank recalls some of his mission outreach:
Children Are Victims of a Globalized World Economy
The Philippines is a country with some of the greatest inequality. There are 16 million Filipinos who suffer serious poverty out of population of 107 million. Six million live in extreme poverty.
The Fijian for Philosophy
Four of our Columban seminarians are studying philosophy at the Pacific Regional Seminary (PRS). During our community night one Sunday evening someone asked one of them who was serving the yaqona (local beverage made of roots) what the Fijian for philosophy would be. Being somewhat at a loss he said “talo” (serve the yaqona) and began serving the yaqona. We all laughed and then agreed that “bati ni tanoa” (chat around the yaqona bowl) would be a possible translation for philosophy!
Chinese Funerals in Taiwan
The personal experience of loss and grief over the death of a loved family member is universal. People tend to remember the lives of those who have recently died. Neighbors, friends and relatives often gather together to be with the family when a cherished member has passed away. The way that
For Others, With Others
The closing of the Columban centennial in Myanmar was held in Myitkyina where Columbans worked for decades until 1979 before being expelled by the military government.
The Care that Children Need
The vast majority of Filipinos love their children, they care for them, pamper and spoil them at times. They do everything to protect them and educate them, meet their needs and launch them on a career. There it seems to end for many.
Hope
Travelling to strange places and leaving familiar things behind entails a mixed feeling of excitement, joy as well as fear. Although I do not like to travel, travelling makes me courageous and motivated.
When Children Are Set Free
Recently, we at the PREDA Foundation have opened a new home for troubled boys which was possible with the help of our supporters. The children in the PREDA homes can be 10 to 15 years old.
Grief and Loss
The poet Robert Browning writes:
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
The Columbans are a society of missionaries, including priests and lay people, who minister to people of various cultures as a way of witnessing to the universal love of God.